Mumbai, Sep 13 (IANS): Mumbai Police have arrested a man for allegedly submitting a false complaint that members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) were planning to incite riots in the city.

The accused was identified as Afsar Khan, 36, also known as MD Afsar, and having multiple criminal cases against him.

Authorities are now in search of his brother, Akhtar, in connection with the case.

The investigation unfolded when the Bhoiwada police station received a series of complaints through postal services, alleging a sinister plot by approximately 19 to 20 individuals associated with the banned PFI to orchestrate riots or communal violence within Mumbai.

The gravity of these allegations prompted action.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad unit aligned with the Bhoiwada police station initiated a comprehensive inquiry and determined that all the letters had been dispatched through the Chembur post office.

During their probe, they arrested a juvenile who had been employed to deliver the complaints and he revealed Afsar Khan's identity.

Simultaneously, the Mumbai Crime Branch, conducting its own parallel investigation, utilised technical surveillance to track and arrest Afsar Khan. He now faces charges under Sections 505 (spreading harmful rumors) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.